Daily WHUFC News - 24th May 2016

Loan round up
WHUFC.com

Josh Cullen could not help Bradford City reach the League One play-off final on Friday as the Bantams drew 1-1 with Millwall at the New Den in the midfielder's final game on loan. The League One side went into the fixture hoping to overturn a 3-1 deficit from the first leg at Valley Parade but the task was made almost impossible when Lee Gregory bagged for the Lions after 33 minutes. Jamie Proctor's strike a minute before the break gave Phil Parkinson's men hope but the hosts held on to their two-goal advantage and progressed to the final where they will face Barnsley. Cullen was substituted at half time while fellow loan partner Reece Burke was an unused substitute following his recovery from an injury problem. The former has featured 17 times on loan in Yorkshire this season, impressing in his central midfield role, while Burke played 36 times for the club, winning a number of awards at the end of the season including the Player of the Year accolade. The pair have returned to West Ham United, along with a number of other players on loan elsewhere this season.

Jaanai Gordon, however, featured for Sligo Rovers on Saturday in their 3-0 FAI Cup win against Cabinteely.

Kieran Sadlier notched either side of a Jimmy Keohane strike to send Rovers through to the fourth round of the competition.

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Scully signs professional terms with Hammers
WHUFC.com

West Ham United are delighted to announce that Republic of Ireland U17 international Anthony Scully has signed a new long term contract with the Club. The creative midfielder has capped off an impressive campaign by putting pen to paper on a new deal that will see him turn professional. Having committed his future to the Hammers, a delighted Scully said: "It's a great feeling. It's a feeling every young boy dreams of, to be a professional footballer. Now that I've earned my first one, the hard work continues to try and earn more with West Ham. "It's a very proud moment for myself and my family. I've put a lot of hard work into getting to where I am today and my family have supported me from the beginning. "This season was a mixture of highs and lows, it didn't start off the best as I unfortunately picked up an injury in pre-season that kept me out until January. I managed to get back playing in the U18s, scoring some goals and also made a few appearances for the U21s."

Having overcome a frustrating opening to this season, his recent performances for the Hammers saw Scully earn a call up into the Irish international set up. He continued: "Captaining Ireland in the U17 Euros was a special moment also for me and my family as it has been a dream of mine. "This week has also been a good one for me officially signing my first professional contract with West Ham and being selected for the Republic of Ireland U19."

With this campaign hosting a range of important milestones for the youngster, the 17-year-old is looking ahead to further achievements in the near future. He finished by saying: "It's a great time for all who are a part of West Ham United. I remember my first ever time watching West Ham with my Dad; Carlos Tevez scored a free kick and the atmosphere was unbelievable.
"I was at the new stadium a while back and it looks amazing, I'm looking forward to playing in it one day. "I am looking to constantly improve and come back to pre-season feeling good. I'm looking to push into the U21s team, play regularly for them hopefully leading to some opportunities with the first team."

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Payet - It has been a magnificent first year
WHUFC.com

Dimitri Payet has had a year to remember at West Ham United following his move to the east London Club last summer and cannot believe the strong relationship he has forged with the Hammers supporters. The French star became a cult hero with the Hammers fans following his outstanding displays which saw him pick up FIVE trophies at the end of the season awards. Few could forget his unstoppable free-kicks which saw him become one of the best set-piece specialist takers in the world. Payet netted 12 goals, created 12 assists and was voted into the PFA Premier League Team of the Year.

So what goal stood out for Payet and how much did he enjoy scoring at the Boleyn Ground?

Payet said: "Of course there are the two free-kicks at Old Trafford and at home to Crystal Palace, but the most important one came away to Everton because it was the winning goal in our comeback. "It has been a magnificent first year and looking back at the results I've had for club and country it has been really fantastic and also these individual accolades are also lovely to receive. "I would also like to thank all my team-mates, the staff here, the coaching staff, the medical staff were fantastic when I was injured and of course the fans, there's a lot of love there and they've really encouraged me and helped me to settle in. "Of course it is fantastic to receive recognition from fellow players and, on top of that, it's in the hardest league in the world so it is a really great feeling and I feel very honoured. "Even though it is a personal award I still want to share it with my team-mates because the fact that I have won it is down to their help and the fact that they have had confidence in me."

Payet is now preparing with the France squad for the European Championship Finals which get underway on June 10 and will be hoping to have a similar impact for his country when they prepare to face Romania, Switzerland and Albania.

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Shephard - It was an extraordinary experience
WHUFC.com

TV presenter and lifelong Hammers fan Ben Shephard admits he will never forget presenting the closing ceremony at the Boleyn Ground and says it is the greatest job he will ever be given.

Shephard was honoured to lead the unforgettable proceedings following the memorable victory over Manchester United.

The Good Morning Britain presenter was joined by over 30,000 fans and millions watching worldwide on television as the Club enjoyed a unique event that brought an end to 112 years of West Ham in Upton Park.

Following a spectacular pyrotechnic and light show, Shephard was joined on the pitch by a number of former players who had won the prestigious Hammer of the Year award, while few could forget the final segment when the Club's greatest son Bobby Moore returned to walk down the tunnel and turned out the Boleyn Ground lights one final time.

Having been part of many memorable experiences on television, Shephard says nothing will compare to him being part of a historic occasion at his beloved Club and says he will always look back with great pride and satisfaction.

Shephard said: "I kept having to pinch myself that I was out there. I could never have imagined that I would be leading the celebrations as a West Ham fan who used to come over and stand behind the goal when I was a youngster.

"It was an extraordinary experience and a real privilege. It was one of the greatest jobs I will ever be given and will be something I talk about with my kids and friends for many years to come.

"I keep getting stopped now and people telling me about the event. Someone was on holiday in the Bahamas watching, while another was in America. It was an amazing send-off and a fantastic farewell.

"The one thing that is placating my emotions of leaving the Boleyn Ground is that we are moving to the new Stadium, and I was lucky enough to work there during the Olympics and went to the Rugby World Cup. It is an extraordinary venue and was blown away by it."

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The best season of my life
KUMB.com
Filed: Sunday, 22nd May 2016
By: James Gavin

Although we ended up 7th, a lot of people - including me - will be disappointed by that. But this has been an amazing season to be a West Ham fan for so many reasons.

I'm 18, so West Ham haven't been the most successful club I could have supported. But it's in me, and I love it.

Previously, my favourite season was our most recent Championship season. Winning week in, week out, chanting "we are top of the league" and going up at Wembley are such happy memories. This season tops all of that for many reasons.

Firstly, and the most important reason for me, is our new style of football. When our team has the ball, I'm excited.

Whether it be Payet or Lanzini using their skill and trickery to beat multiple players; Noble and Kouyate dictating the game with solid defence and ability to turn it into an attack; even Antonio (who must run on petrol) and Cresswell dominating the flanks with exciting wing play.

And our new passing style is just such a joy to watch, and has allowed me to understand what the real 'West Ham way' is all about.

Attitude of the team is also another key factor in our success this season. For many years we haven't exactly been the most motivated team, comebacks were few and fair between and maintaining a lead was always nervy (this still needs a bit of work).

Under Avram Grant, there was the classic scenario where we would happen to be leading 1- 0 at half time, and you could just picture his worried face transcending onto the players and us ending up losing 3-1.

Or under Big Sam (who I am a fan of due to the stability he brought); when we went 2-0 down you just knew our team wasn't capable of scoring three goals. This has all changed.

No longer do I give up on a game until it is officially over, because with this group of players and their mindset they can turn anything around. The perfect example would be at Everton (who we always do badly against) where we turned a 2 0 deficit away from home into a 3 2 win. Amazing!

The Avram days are over as well and I think our victory at home against Chelsea is a great example of this. Previously, if Chelsea equalised, we would never have been able to suddenly rally and turn the match into three points. But we did, and that is partly down to our team's great self belief.

Going from setting up for one point against any big team, to having a pop at three, has been really good fun and this has been a great season for memorable wins.

When we went to Stamford Bridge a couple of years ago, and the '19th century football' argument arose (which was very fun to wind Chelsea fans up about) it showed the type of team we were. We worked dammed hard for a point and there wasn't much fun in that.

There were times when a team like Man City could literally pass the ball through our defence, with our players unsure as to whose job it was to stop it this time. We'd concede, and that would be game over. That wasn't fun.

Away wins at Liverpool, Arsenal and Man City were all brilliant and show what a great season we have had. We went against these teams with a solid(ish) defence and played pacy, counter-attacking football. It paid off and was great for all of us to watch.

We have shown this season that we can compete against any team, and we are not scared of who they are. One of the games I really like to look back on was our 2-2 draw at home to Man City.

This was just one of the most exciting games of football I've ever witnessed. It was such a great end-to-end game. It looked like a clash of two quality teams and that's what we almost are now - a quality team!

By no means are we perfect though, finishing 7th has showed this. We need to tighten up our defence and try to find that elusive, injury-free, 20-goal-a-season striker. But we have come such a long way this season.

With a successful transfer window we could improve even more. However, by improving we may only achieve the same or even a lower league position as both Chelsea and Liverpool, who finished below us this season, should improve.

In summary, we should all be pleased with the great season we have had. A few more "ifs" and "maybes" in our favour and we might have qualified for the Champions League!

Thanks to Manchester United we can now look forward to European football again next season. That's the icing on the cake for a great season - hopefully the first of many under Slaven Bilic.

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West Ham seeded for Europa draw
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 23rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham will be one of 29 seeded teams to take part in the third qualifying round of the Europa League later this summer.

United's co-efficient rating* of 16.256 is the 13th highest of the 48 clubs who have thus far secured qualification for next season's Europa League and ensures Slaven Bilic's team will be one of the seeded clubs to enter the third preliminary stage.

So far, 25 of the 29 possible opponents West Ham could face in the third qualifying round (which takes place on 28 July/4 Aug) have been determined; they are as follows:

Neftchi Baku (Azb); AEK Larnaca (Cyp), FC Oleksandriya (Ukr), AIK Stockholm (Swe): Slovan Bratislava (Slv); FC Luzern (Sui); Videoton Fehérvár (Hun); FK Aktobe (Kaz); Vojvodina Novi Sad (Srb); Istanbul Basaksehir (Tur); Strømsgodset IF (Now); Shakhtior Saligorsk (Bel); Spartak Trnava (Slv); Heracles Almelo (Hol); Pandurii Târgu Jiu (Rom); Osmanlispor (Tur); Slavia Praha (Cze); IFK Göteborg (Swe); DVSC Debrecen (Hun); Hearts FC (Sco); FK Ventspils (Lat); Admira Wacker (Aus); BK Häcken (Swe); EL3 (Gre); Viitorul Constanta (Rom)

Should the Hammers progress to the next (play-off) round - the final stage before the group phase - it is unlikely however that they will continue to be seeded. A total of 44 teams will enter this stage, which contains 22 seeded teams and 22 non-seeded teams.

At present, and assuming all seeded teams qualify from the third qualifying round, West Ham will only be the 16th-highest-ranked club. In addition to the clubs that will have qualified for the play-off round via the previous (third) qualifying round, 15 beaten clubs from Champions League qualification enter the reckoning.

And should the Hammers win the play-off round's two-legged tie, which take place on 18/25 August, they will enter the Europa League group phase which comprises of 48 teams split into 12 groups.

Unfortunately West Ham's low coefficient would almost certainly ensure they will feature in Pot 4 of the draw, the lowest seeds for the group draw. The six group matches will take place on Thursday evenings between 15 September and 8 December.

The last 32 phase - consisting of the 12 winners from the group stage, 12 runners-up and the eight teams to finish third in their Champions League groups - takes place on 16/23 February, whilst the winners of these 16 ties enter the last 16 (9/16 March).

The quarter finals will be played on 13/20 April, the semi finals (also two-legged) take place on 4/11 May with the final - being held next season at the Friends Arena in Stockholm - scheduled for 24 May.

In all, West Ham would play 19 matches were they to reach next May's final.

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L'OM slap €40million price tag on West Ham target Batshuayi
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 23rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer

Marseille will refuse to sell West Ham target Michy Batshuayi for less than €40million due to a sell-on clause in his contract. The financially-troubled Ligue 1 club have thus far resisted all approaches for the 22-year-old Belgian striker, who moved to L'OM from Standard Liege in 2014. And that's largely due to a whopping 35 per cent sell-on clause in his contract that entitles the Belgian club to more than a third of any profit gained by his sale. Marseille paid circa £4.5million for Batshuayi two years ago this summer, since when he scored 26 goals in 62 appearances in the French top flight. But thus far no club has come close to meeting L'OM's valuation of the striker - despite interest from clubs including Manchester City, Juventus and Inter, as well as the Hammers.
Another player Marseille may be willing to part company with in order to balance the books is full back and former French youth international Benjamin Mendy. The 21-year-old would be available for a fee in the region of £15million; in addition to West Ham, Premier League champions Leicester City are also reported to be monitoring his situation.

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Hammers miss out on Ibrahimovic
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 23rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham look certain to miss out on signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic, after it was revealed that the Swedish international was poised to join Manchester United. THe chances of West Ham securing the signature of one of the world's most instantly-recognisable footballers were always slim, at best - especially once it was revealed that the 34-year-old was seeking in excess of £200,000 per week wages. And rumours emerging this afternoon suggest that the 6'5" striker, who has featured previously for Juventus, Barcelona, Inter and PSG will be coming to the Premier League this summer - but to Old Trafford, rather than the Olympic Stadium. Ibrahimovic is reported to be set to sign a one or two-year deal with Manchester United, before moving to the MLS thereafter. The veteran goalscorer has made 112 appearances for Sweden in an international career stretching back 15 years. The Hammers were first linked with a move for Ibra back in 2002, when he was at Ajax.

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Ogbonna named in preliminary Italian Euro squad
KUMB.com
Filed: Monday, 23rd May 2016
By: Staff Writer

West Ham United central defender Angelo Ogbonna has been included in Italy's provisional 30-man squad for this summer's European Championships. The 28-year-old, who joined West Ham last summer has been included in Antonio Conte's squad for the tournament which is being staged in France between 10 June and 10 July. Ogbonna is one of only two Italians based in the Premier League to be included in COnte's selection; the other being Southampton striker Graziano Pelle. Ogbonna will join fellow Hammers Dimitri Payet (France), James Collins (Wales) and Darren Randolph (Ireland) at the tournament.

Provisional Italian squad

Goalkeepers: Federico Marchetti, Antonio Mirante, Marco Sportiello.

Defenders: Francesco Acerbi, Davide Astori, Leonardo Bonucci, Armando Izzo, Angelo Ogbonna, Lorenzo Tonelli.

Midfielders: Marco Benassi, Federico Bernardeschi, Antonio Candreva, Danilo Cataldi, Daniele De Rossi, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Stephan El Shaarawy, Alessandro Florenzi, Emanuele Giaccherini, Jorginho, Marco Parolo, Roberto Soriano, Davide Zappacosta.

Forwards: Fabio Borini, Eder, Ciro Immobile, Lorenzo Insigne, Leonardo Pavoletti, Graziano Pelle.

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Europa fixtures are not a problem
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 23, 2016 in Sean's Blogs, Whispers
C and H

West Ham will hear who their Europa League opponents are on the 15th July and there is a fifty percent chance they will be drawn away from home in the first leg which would not cause a fixture problem as the stadium will be converted from Athletics mode by the 1st August.

The Europa League first leg is scheduled to be played on 28th July with second leg on the 4th August.

Should the Hammers be unlucky and drawn at home for the first leg they will just ask UEFA and the opposing team to switch legs. This should be a simple process and is not without precedence. Last season, West Ham were drawn away in Andorra against FC Lusitans but both sides agreed to swap the legs and the first leg was instead played at the Boleyn Ground on Thursday 2nd July with the away leg on Thursday 9th July.

Other commentators have mentioned the Juventus friendly 7th August could be rescheduled but there is little room to reschedule with the Premier League starting on Saturday 13th August and quite frankly no reason to.

The Juventus friendly will probably see just a cameo appearance from many of the senior players with a long season ahead. The likes of Reece Oxford, Reece Burke, Darren Randolph, Havard Nordtveit and Toni Martínez will likely get a start along with many of the new signings who won't necessary go straight into the first team having a significant role.

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Andy Carroll helps the homeless
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham striker Andy Carroll pulled over on his boys holiday road trip in Texas, USA to give a homeless man by the side of the road drinks, food and towels. A video posted on the 27 year old's personal social media account shows the lads laughing as they hand over over bottles of water, cans of Sprite, Pringles and beach towels before handing over their plastic cool box to a homeless person. The lads have visited Houston, Galveston and Austin in the state of Texas so far dodging a Tornado in Galveston when an emergency warning was sent out. The lads saw the funny side and took cover in a bath to wait out the storm.

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Gold responds to OS first game critics
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

West Ham Chairman, David Gold has been quick to answer critics disappointed that the Juventus friendly will no longer be the first game at the Olympic Stadium. Gold speaking on twitter said "We made clear that the date for the opening fixture might change dependent on our qualification for Europe. dg"

When one supporter suggested many fans will return tickets for the Juvnetus friendly but Gold replied: "I would be surprised if a supporter of West Ham would want to return his ticket for the game against Juventus. dg"

One Hammers fan called Paul Turner messaged Gold to say: "Hearing we can't play out first games at "home" because it will still be in athletics mode..If only we owned our own ground."

Gold quickly responded "Paul there are very few clubs that own their own grounds most are owned by there banks. dg"

Paul responded "David my house still has a mortgage on it .. But the bank doesn't tell me when I can use the house .." for which Gold replied: "True but if you don't make the payments they will. dg"

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Hammers linked with Colombian striker
Posted by Sean Whetstone on May 23, 2016 in News, Whispers
C and H

According to Mercato 365, AC Milan striker Carlos Bacca has been added to West Ham's extended list of striker transfer targets this summer. He's scored 17 times in the league this season and added two assists but could be allowed to leave AC Milan in the summer and is valued at 30 million Euros (£23m). According to WhoScored.com, he's scored those goals despite managing only 1.9 shots per game. Squawka.com clocks his shooting accuracy at an excellent 67 percent—and it was as high as 70 percent in late February. The Colombia striker has been disappointed with the club's Italian's ability to compete for a Champions League place. The 29 year old has attracted interested from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United as well as a host of European sides. Bacca has smashed 20 goals for AC Milan this season in all competitions having arrived from Sevilla last summer, and that's now 97 league goals in the last four seasons, across spells with Belgian side Club Brugge, La Liga's Sevilla and now AC Milan.

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West Ham end of season review: Slaven Bilic leads Hammers to brilliant season as they wave goodbye to Upton Park
West Ham finished seventh in Premier League following excellent season
Popular Slaven Bilic hit the ground running as manager with good results
Dimitri Payet quickly became the club's talisman and a fan hero
By MATT BARLOW FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 11:49, 23 May 2016 | UPDATED: 11:49, 23 May 2016

Now that the curtain has fallen on the domestic season, it's time to reflect on the highs and lows, heroes and and villains, and what the future may hold.
As part of our end-of-season guides to every team in the Premier League, Sportsmail's MATT BARLOW looks back at West Ham's best season in years...

In a nutshell, how was the season?
Brilliant beyond expectations. The best top-flight points total for 30 years, memorable away wins at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City and a perfect platform for the Olympic Stadium move. The feeble surrender to Romania's Astra Giurgiu in the Europa League was soon forgotten.

Who was the shining light?
Dmitri Payet: it did not take long for his twinkling toes and dazzling free-kick goals to land him the mantle as the darling of the fans at Upton Park. His brilliant form also secured a return to the France team and a new £125,000 a year contract until 2021, making him the best-paid West Ham player of all time.

Who failed to live up to expectations?
Alex Song: Unable to reproduce the form of his first season on loan from Barcelona and nagged by injuries. Bilic soon decided the midfield balance was better off with Cheikhou Kouyate and the wonderfully consistent Mark Noble in the centre and Song was forgotten.

How did the manager get on?
Better than anyone envisaged, considering he was far from the first choice. Bilic started with a win at Arsenal and his team produced a stirring comeback to beat Manchester United in the final home game. In between he said the right things, produced exciting football and generated the atmosphere around the club.

What was the best moment?
Winston Reid's goal to complete a stirring comeback and clinch a 3-2 win against Manchester United on an emotional final night at Upton Park. (Notwithstanding the mindless bottle attack by some fans on the United team bus, of course.)

And the worst?
Heavy defeat at home to Swansea in the penultimate home game of the season. Without this, West Ham would have gone into the final day of the season with a chance of finishing fourth.
Reasons to be cheerful for next season?

A new dawn at the Olympic Stadium with more than 50,000 season ticket holders, an exciting team and a charismatic manager.

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West Ham will take the Europa League seriously, insists chairman David Gold
West Ham qualified for Europe thanks to Manchester United's FA Cup win
Hammers had missed out after finishing seventh in the Premier League
But United's victory over Crystal Palace secured a Europa League spot
By IAN RODRICKS, REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 11:28, 23 May 2016 | UPDATED: 11:28, 23 May 2016

West Ham United will not take Europa League lightly next season after being gifted a spot in the competition by Manchester United's FA Cup triumph, joint chairman David Gold has said.
West Ham missed out on qualifying for Europe after finishing seventh in the Premier League but United's victory over Crystal Palace at Wembley on Saturday secured a Europa League spot for Slaven Bilic's men for second successive year. 'It was an exciting and thrilling end to the final and what a goal from (Jesse) Lingard to win the game,' Gold told the club's website. 'There was so much hanging on it for West Ham fans and we were all left celebrating as we are back in Europe. 'As we prepare for the big move into the new stadium this is another exciting challenge for the football club.' West Ham lost to Romania's Astra Giurgiu in the third qualifying round in Europe's second tier competition last season but Gold insisted the club were keen to add to their trophy haul as they move into a new era at London's Olympic Stadium. 'We should take this competition seriously and we are good enough to win it,' Gold added.
'It will also be another great opportunity for our young players to get European experience and a number of them showed their quality when we played in the early rounds last summer.'

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